Ashwagandha is a prized herb of Ayurvedic medicine (Ayurveda for short), one of the world’s oldest holistic, whole-body healing systems developed more than 3000 years ago in India.
Ashwagandha is a small evergreen shrub that belongs to the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, the same family as tomatoes and potatoes.
In Sanskrit, “Ashwagandha” translates to “the smell of a horse,” (ashwa—horse, gandha—smell), which refers to its ability to bring about the strength and stamina of a horse while nourishing the body.
Ashwagandha is considered to be an adaptogen. Among other actions, adaptogens help the body adapt to stress. This is reflected in the fact that Ashwagandha thrives in arid conditions and in poor quality, alkaline soils. While most plants would suffer in this severe stress environment, Ashwagandha flourishes.
Mild anxiety
According to Ayurveda, the body is merely a crystallisation of the mind. As one of the key Ayurvedic herbs, Ashwagandha is well-loved for its impacts on the mind and its ability to relieve the symptoms of mild anxiety. Ayurveda considers even minor disturbances of the mind to be deeply influential to overall general health.
Healthy sleep
It is very common for mild anxiety and sleeplessness to go hand in hand. Ashwagandha supports healthy sleeping patterns, while also having been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to promote sleep. In Ayurveda, sleep is one of the three pillars of good health, known as Nidra. Nidra is considered one of the basic instincts of life, essential to all living beings, necessary for re-energising and rejuvenating the body.
Vitality and energy
Ashwagandha has been used to support energy production, while also having a long history of traditional use in Ayurvedic medicine as a rejuvenative tonic and to promote vitality. In Ayurveda, vitality is an important component of health, with the belief that health is simply a by-product of enlightenment.
Memory and cognition
Ashwagandha is also known in Ayurvedic medicine as a Medhya. In Sanskrit, a Medhya refers to using the brain to support reasoning or intellect. Ashwagandha has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to improve memory and cognition.
Recovering from illness
Ashwagandha assists with the recovery from illness, while also being used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to relieve feelings of weakness and general debility. In Ayurveda, Ashwagandha is also a Rasayana, an important rejuvenative tonic.
Herbs of Gold Mind Ease features Ashwagandha from KSM-66®, an award-winning, full-spectrum extract standardised to >5% withanolides, associated with the health benefits of Ashwagandha. Mind Ease is a combination of Ashwagandha and Lavender. Herbs of Gold Mind Ease relieves the symptoms of mild anxiety, supports healthy sleeping patterns and a healthy stress response in the body, while also maintaining both energy and memory.
